“So many women, they come to us and they are ready to leave right away. Other women come for years and they can’t get out,” said Betty Petropoulos, social worker and director of social services at Shield of Athena, a Montreal-area women’s shelter.

“Statistically, we know that the most dangerous time for a woman is during the separation period, in terms of getting hurt or killed.”

Executive director Melpa Kamateros has been running Shield of Athena since 1991.

WATCH BELOW: Young wife in hospital after domestic abuse to save baby

She has made educating the public about conjugal violence her life’s work.